Still Gravity

Everybody loves a good bear - be it Teddy, Winnie, Yogi, or Boo-Boo -, but meeting the real ones face-to-face on a trail is another matter. All because there is a problem with bears: we can read and learn all we want about them, but up close we'll see that...  T H E Y  A R E  H U G E .   A big fat bear -  License our images here . I'm not an expert in this topic and neither have vast experiences dealing with bears. I just take photos and once in a while a bear comes into my camera frame. This post is a collection of notes from different sources. Be warned, use them at your own risk.   There are three commands to wander in bear land.  Learn about bears.  Learn about living with bears.  Learn to defend from bears.  Welcome to bear country - Ocala, Florida.  THE BEAR Bears, it turns out, are a lot li

The dirt road through Dinner Island Ranch - License our images  here .         This wildlife management area is north of the Big Cypress Indian Reservation. Far from the main roads of South Florida, it doesn't get crowded out from the hunting season. This area became a magnet for cattlemen, hunters, trappers, and traders after the Second Seminole War in the 1830s. There are still ranches in the surroundings.   Two camping places here, one in the open grass and the other covered by the trees of a hammock. They are by the entrance to the WMA. Both are free, but a permit is required. Stay is limited to 14-day. No electricity or potable water.  The dirt road loop through Dinner Island Ranch goes on for 11 miles - 17 kilometers. We crossed deer, snakes, gators, and many birds. There are bears and panthers, but they are hard to see. There were also cows loose on the road.  It was spring and the alligators wer

Our truck camper on a good dirt road - License our images  here .         Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road , "Here I was at the end of America - no more land - and now there was nowhere to go but back." - the previous link is affiliate  to the book page in Amazon. Not necessarily, Jack. When the road ends, we can keep going off road. The thing is to know where and when and how, plus be prepared for the worse.  These are some ideas to survive a road trip to nowhere.  Get good tires.  Low the air to ~ 50% (no lower than 30%).  Switch to low gear.  Drive on the higher spots of the road.  Keep the wheels straight.  Protect the driver's side and center of the vehicle - the location of the gas tank in my truck. Cross one wheel at a time in a ditch.  If in doubt, take a break. Stop and walk to check the obstacles.   If stuck and a wheel is slipping, drive out slowly.